The invention relates to insulated coolers for chilling food.
Outdoor entertaining has become very popular. Many hosts or hostesses enjoy providing an outdoor buffet for guests. Foods are served on serving dishes or platters placed on ice that keeps the buffet items chilled and fresh.
Conventional portable coolers are often used to hold the ice during the buffet. These coolers have insulated plastic or styrofoam side walls and bottoms that define an interior compartment for holding ice. A drain in a side wall enables melt water from the ice to be flowed out of the cooler compartment.
Although a portable cooler can be used for an outdoor buffet, using such a cooler has disadvantages. The cooler has a relatively small serving area, so several coolers are often needed for the number of dishes typically served at a buffet. The cooler walls are relatively high and often force guests to awkwardly reach into the cooler to the food. The high walls also impair the visibility and presentation of the foods served at the buffet. The cooler is often placed on a table to hold the foods at a convenient serving height. Tables that could be used by guests are dedicated to the buffet instead.
Additionally, draining the cooler while entertaining guests is difficult and could ruin the affair. Water discharges from the side of the cooler and can easily wet the table (or the guests!) if care is not taken to redirect or capture the flow. The drain location makes this difficult, and draining the cooler is often best done by carrying the cooler a good distance away from the buffet itself. Many conventional coolers must be tipped for drainage, and so serving dishes must be removed before draining the cooler.
Thus, there is a need for an improved cooler for use in outdoor buffets or other outdoor entertaining. The improved cooler should have a large serving area and provide good visibility and access to foods. Draining the cooler should be convenient and not require removing the cooler from the buffet or removing the serving dishes from the cooler.
The invention is an improved cooler for an outdoor buffet or other outdoor entertainment. The improved cooler provides a large serving area and provides good visibility and access to foods. Draining the cooler is convenient and does not require removing the cooler from the buffet. The cooler does not have to be tipped when drained.
A cooler in accordance with the present invention includes a bottom wall and a side wall surrounding the outer periphery of the bottom wall. Each wall includes insulating material to resist heat transfer through the wall. The bottom wall and the side wall define an interior compartment for receiving and holding ice in the cooler.
The bottom wall has a surface facing the interior compartment, the surface sloping downwardly from the side wall to a low point of the surface. The low point is preferably located at or near the center of the bottom wall surface but could be placed near or immediately adjacent the sidewall.
Melt water from ice in the cooler compartment flows by gravity along the bottom wall surface to the low point. A drain extends through the thickness of the bottom wall and discharges melt water from the cooler compartment. The drain inlet opening is at the low point of the bottom wall surface and the drain outlet is below the bottom wall to discharge melt water from the cooler.
The cooler includes a base or support that hold the bottom wall off the ground. The drain outlet is spaced above the ground such that the outlet is accessible from below and can completely discharge melt water without tipping the cooler.
In a preferred embodiment the bottom wall surface is rectangularly shaped and has a length of about 72 inches and a width of about 36 inches. The bottom wall is supported on spaced apart legs that provide about 36 inches of ground clearance to the bottom of the tray. Other dimensions can be used. A removable top or cover can be placed on the side walls to close the interior compartment or to form a temporary table top.
In yet other preferred embodiments of the invention the drain is formed from a pipe having a threaded discharge end. The threaded discharge enables a hose or bottle to be attached to the drain that redirects the flow of melt water away from the cooler or stores the melt water for later disposal.
The improved cooler of the present invention has many features that make outdoor buffets easier and more enjoyable. In addition, the cooler can be used at the beach or anywhere else that easy and convenient access to food is desired.
Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying two drawing sheets illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.